Background

Western journalists, analysts, opinion makers, politicians and other public figures often present a simplified image of Russia and fail to reveal the complexity of its politics, media, propaganda, and international meddling. They put too much focus on Russia’s president Vladimir Putin but few explain how the system really operates.

This in-depth seminar explores the most common analytical stereotypes in the Western media, and focuses on how the Western and Russian media interact, how international and national media messages are crafted, and how the system works. In addition, the seminar provides an overview of the Russian public opinion one month before the presidential elections, with emphasis on understanding opinion polls and electoral statistics in the Russian context.

Speakers

Vasily Gatov, media analyst, strategist and journalist; senior fellow, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California.

Kirill Rogov, Moscow-based political scientist, journalist and book author, affiliated to the Liberal Mission Foundation, Indem Foundation (Information Science for Democracy); Levada-Center, and the Council on Defence and Foreign Relations.

Agenda

Ivan Krastev, political scientist, book author, New York Times columnist, Chairmen of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, Bulgaria; permanent fellow at the IWM, Institute of Human Sciences, Vienna, Austria.Why is it important to understand Russia?

9:30

Vasily Gatov, media analyst, strategist and journalist; senior fellow, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California.Do Western media understand Russia? Focus on media, propaganda, international meddling, and politics.

10:00

Anna Litvinenko,Researcher,Freie Universität BerlinDo mainstream media in German understand Russia? Focus: media coverage, and Russian-speaking population in Germany and their media consumption.

10:30

Q & A

11:00

CoffeeBreak

11:30

Alexey Kovalev, Journalist, Moscow.Russia vs the West: information, disinformation, debunking false information and mutual stereotyping. Focus on how the system operates.Presentation and Q & A

12:15

Diana Kachalova, Journalist, Editor in chief, Novaya Gazeta, St. Petersburg.
Media in Russia: messages for the local audience.Presentation and Q & A

13:00

Lunch

14:00

Kirill Rogov, Moscow-based political scientist, journalist and book author, affiliated to the Liberal Mission Foundation, Indem Foundation (Information Science for Democracy); Levada-Center, and the Council on Defence and Foreign Relations. Public opinion before the elections.Understanding opinion polls, figures, and electoral statistics in authoritarian regimes: support, response and voting.Presentation and Q & A

14:45

Concluding remarksCarola Schneider, ORF correspondent in the Russian FederationOn being a correspondent in Moscow.

15:00

Coffee & networking

Target Groups

Journalists from the Austrian and Austria-based media (minimum 3 years of professional experience), foreign and national news desks, diplomats, university professors and researchers, analysts from think-tanks.